Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-14

DIR. G. G. TYRREIL, Secretary OF
the State Board OF Health, is a GEL
tleman for whom we have much
res pect; but we confess that his
treatment OF Los Angeles in his offi-
cial capacity shakes our confidence in
his sense of justice and fair-deallng.
We have just received his Official
Monthly Circular, publication
which is issued from the presses OF
the State Printing Office once
month, treating OF the mortality and
sanitary condition of the State. In
his remarks upon the prevailing dis
eases in the State, DIR. Tyrrell has
the following reference to smallpox
"Small-pox, although still threaten
ing the southern portion OF our State,
has not as yet, assumed pos'tarety
epidemic form" We have Italicized
the portion OF the sentence to which
we wish to take indignant exception.
The inference it contains was not JUS
sified by the facts at the time he
wrote, nor has there been any basis
for it at any time. The implication
is that there is ground for apprehen-
sion that the smallpox will yet be-
come epidemic in this section. Now
that implication is altogether gratul-
tous, and justities US in charging TIE
Doctor with carrying his prejuhces
or spite into an official report. DIR.
Hagan declared, Monday that there
had been no new cases here in ten
days, and that the time for incuba-
ton having passed, it was safe to
pronounce the disease at an end. All
the cases had been either cured
or were convalescent, and some
were still retained in the hospital out
of excess of caution, although they
were really restored to their normal
health. But let us admit that DIR.
Tyrrell made up his report before
these facts could have come officially
to his knowledge. Even then, he
was not justified by the condition OF
the disease in anticipating affirma-
lively, as he does, that the smallpox
would become epidemic. At no time
in the history.'of this last visitation
was the danger imminent that it
won Id become epidemic. Nine deaths
from smallpox out OF ninety-four from
all other diseases for March, is GER.
family not a showing that points to-
ward the epidemicity of smallpox
DIR. Tyrrell came to Los Angeles last
month predetermined to find our city
in terrible state. He had formed
his theory, and. if. the facts did not
agree with it, so much the worse for
the facts. He had not been here five
hours before he declared that we were
in a hopeless condition; that we had
SIN allpox here and smallpox there,
scattered throughout the city, and
that each place where it existed was
q centre of distribution from which it
would spread and result in pesti-
lence that would sweep us as with the
besom OF destruction. "You are on
the verge OF an abyss, sir, and moth
ing will save you," was the Cas-
sandra-like prophecy of himself and
another of. his confreres. Having
said this, and probably having
wrought himself,into the belief of it,
he doubtless considers himself Out
and injured because it has moi
come to pass. B Being in this frame OF
mind, it is no wonder thai
he carries his resentment as we'll as
his prejudices into his. Monthly Cir
cular. 1t is most distressing condi.
ton for a m edical official to work
himself into, and we sympathize with
him in his mental suffering; but then
we cannot so far extend our sympa-
thies as to overlook the. fact that he
is, by his wild and misleading official
vaticinations, doing absolute injury
to our section, and therefore earning
for himself very meretricious kind
of reputation-such reputation as he
would be the first to deprecate, if he
were in his normal frame of mind.
Perhaps this lovely April month, balm
and serene, will serve to restore him
to his pristine health. Repose and
good digestion will calm his per-
turbed spirits, and when he has fully
returned to himself he may sit down
to write his next monthly report freed
from the prejudices he imbibed at our
persistent refusal to carry out his
gruesome predictions, and do us
justice.